It's a go on Route 309

After 18 months, road-widening project on stretch of highway in Coopersburg is finally finished.

September 17, 2010|By Tracy Jordan, OF THE MORNING CALL

Regular commuters and travelers of Route 309 through Coopersburg no doubt felt a wave of relief Friday. Those extra minutes spent the last 18 months waiting in single-lane traffic to get through the construction zone finally ended.

The final paving work is done and all traffic restrictions were removed as of Friday morning, revealing four lanes of fresh, smooth blacktop between the Bucks County line and Fairmount Street.

The $6.75 million widening project started in March 2009 and included the addition of left turning lanes, median islands and pedestrian crosswalks to improve safety and traffic flow in an area that is congested with a variety of businesses. New storm drains, updated traffic signals, sidewalks and curbs also were installed in the 760-foot-long stretch, which sees an average 45,700 vehicles a day.

The state Department of Transportation says there may be a few more occasions for lane restrictions over the next several weeks for finishing touches, but for the most part, the highway is open.

Left turn lanes were added at Station Avenue and Landis, Fairmount and Thomas streets and eliminated at intersections without traffic lights.

Pedestrian crosswalks were installed at Station Avenue and Landis and Fairmount streets. Concrete median strips or islands were installed between Station Avenue and Fairmount Street to prevent left turns in between those intersections.

Blooming Glen Contractors of Blooming Glen, Bucks County, is the general contractor, and Arora and Associates of Lawrenceville, N.J., served as design engineers. The work has been completed on schedule.